REDO BACKUP & RESTORE TRANSLATION

A live CD will boot on a special filesystem named unionFS with a read-only part on the boot support, and a read-write part in RAM (this part can also be on a hard disk for example with unionFS used out of live CD). The unionFS name comes from the C union method allowing the storage of two different variables in the same memory space.

union my_union
{
 int integer ;
 double real ;
}

For this union, the system will reserve the greater variable memory space needed for the two variables, 8 bytes in our case (cause an int takes 4 bytes on a 32 bits machines, and a double takes 8 bytes).

If we call my_union.integer, .the content will be used as an integer, else if we call my_union.real , the content will be used as a double precision real number. To call one then the other is a non sense, the value will be false, the two pseudos vars occupying the same memory space.

If we apply this to an unionFS :

Two different mounted points will be linked to show a unique one. They are superimposed. In Live CD case, one part is in read-only, the other read-write in RAM.

As long as no modification is made, the read-only part is used. If a file is modified, this one will be written in the read-wite mounted point and will be showed.(the origin file always present i the read-only part is hidden and the new version will be presented). If a file is deleted, the unionFS renames it with the .whcc extension. The file with this extension won't be shown.

For more information : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UnionFS.

SquashFS is a compressed and read-onnly FileSystem. When using it, it's just in time uncompressed.

For more informations : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SquashFS.

The recent Live CD use a SquashFS with AuFS, which is working like UnionFS.

We have renamed the Redo Backup original files :

mv /mnt/contenu/sbin/redobackup /mnt/contenu/sbin/redobackup.orig
mv /mnt/usr/share/redo/redobackup.glade /mnt/usr/share/redo/redobackup.glade.orig

In our mounted /mnt point , we have the translated redobackup files in the fr folder. We copy it to their right locations  :

cp /mnt/fr/redobackup /mnt/contenu/sbin
cp /mnt/fr/redobackup.glade /mnt/contenu/usr/share/redo

After squashFS generation, we replace the old one in the CD copy :

mv /mnt/fileseystem.squashfs /mnt/cd/casper/

Isolinux is the dedicated CD version of syslinux bootloader. It's equivalent to Grub or Lilo. It's easy to modify it's configuration which is located in the isolinux/isolinux.cfg file.

You can modify it to force the keyboard layout. In our case, we added «locale=fr_FRconsole-setup/layoutcode=fr» on the APPEND line (before « -- » at end of line) to put the keyboard in French.

In the same time, we have translated the text in French.

We simply edited the file in our CD copy with the integrated RedoBackup text editor : LeafPad.

We will use genisoimage, already present in the CD, to generate the ISO image. We will use it many times, so we created a script in our partition :

#!/bin/sh
cd /mnt/cd
genisoimage -o /mnt/redobackup_fr.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat --no-emul-boot --boot-load-size 4 --boot-info-table -r -J ./

After CD generation, we copy it from our partition to the host of our VM with SCP, after SSH package installation.

The Wikipedia's OpenBox page tells us there is three configuration files :

• ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml
• ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml
• ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh

We don't find the following menu entries in these files :

• Accessories
• System tools
• Settings

If we click the right mouse button on the bar at the bottom, (which for the menu Access and the time display), and then if we select "Preferences", The window title is "AdeskBar", we will look at this side.

AdeskBar is an application launcher for OpenBox, written in Python language.

The ~/.config/adeskbar folder contains a default.cfg file. So the content doesn't match with menubar entries.

On the other distributions the launchers are .desktop files, stored in ~/.local/share

In looking this folder, we find un folder containing files matching with our applications. Editing the "File Manager" file (file-manager.Desktop), we modified the line "Name=..." and replaced the text with the french translation, we can see, after killing the AdeskBar process, the modification are in the menu. So we modify the others entries.

Next, we take care of menus titles.

In the ~/.local/share folder, we find a desktop-directories one containing « Settings » and « System Tools » but not « Accessories ». After modifying the two founded entries and AdeskBar reboot, the modifications are working.

Next, we're looking for a file containing « Accessories » in the home user folder:

grep -r Accessories .

This one returned to us the entries in the .config/menu/applications.menu file.

So, we modify the text and restart AdeskBar process. We have two different entries, one "Accessoires" (Accessories french translation) containing two of the five original entries, and one "Accessories" entry containing the three others. So, it's not the good method.

Looking for from the root :

find . -name "*,directory"

We find a /user/share/desktop-directories folder, containing an Accessories file. After modification and reboot, it's OK.

We have copied the /root/.local/share files in our squashFS copy etc/skel/.local/share folder, because in Live CD, user account are created just-in-time from etc/skel . The modified accessories file was also copied in /usr/share/dektop-directories.

Once the CD regenerated (as shown in the section part #5Live CD modification), we have the elements translated correctly.

First of all, we tried to find solutions for Redo Backup translation looking for :

• LXDE and OpenBox documentation available in Internet ;
• in LXDE translations problems dedicated forums ;
• in the general documentation about Linux distributions translations.

Theses tracks have enabled us to find partial solutions. Installing a language package with :

apt-get install language-pack-gnome-fr

By creating a /etc/default/locale file containing :

LANG="fr_FR.UTF-8"

The system himself was translated in French (messages in Terminal), and the date and time, menu elements, and graphical interface, but not everything. The OpenBox graphical interface is globally still in English.

we decide to use a more methodical method, based on verified hypothesis working directly in the Redo Backup distribution completely installed on a hard disk partition. It's the same method exposed in the Live CD preparationPreparation section (squashFS decompression). It will also be necessary to create a /boot folder and copying the vmlinuz and initrid.lz files from the /casper CD folder. If this installation is a multiboot installation, it will be possible to start Redo Backup doing an update-grub from the main used Linux system.

Are all the translation libraries available ?

Look at the added language-pack-gnome-fr files, present in
/usr/share/locale-langpack/fr.

We find LC_MESSAGES folder, witch contains many .mo files évoquant functions or applications names from system. These files can't be read with a text editor.

We saw on Internet than .mo files are compiled translation files. We can uncompile them to obtain editable .po files which can be edited with text editor.

We try to uncompile one of it, for example the file-roller.mo file with command :

msgunfmt /usr/share/locale-langpack/fr/LE_MESSAGES/file-roller.mo > ~/file-roller.po

In looking it's content, we see it's a translation for the archiving software.

The translations libraries seem to be present.

Is the system correctly linking the translation files ?

The system is correctly translated in text mode, we can suppose the problem is located in graphical interface. The use of the command :

locale

A terminal shows us correctly defined environment variables. The problem is elsewhere.

If we have a look in the graphical interface configuration files present in /etc/xdg/openbox containing three files which can be verloaded in a user session in ~/.config/openbox.

Everything about graphical environnement can also be in /etc/x11.

We test with a Lubuntu distribution based on lxde and OpenBox to compare with Redo Backup and try to discover what could be missing in it.

we rely on a distribution Lubuntu, based on lxde and Openbox, to compare the two distributions and try to identify what might miss Redo Backup. . The three files from /etc/xdg/openbox are present in both distributions, and nothing in their content allow to envisage a problem here.

We have a look in etc/x11 . The only difference is a symbolic link pointing to /usr/bin/Xorg in Redo Backup.

In the xinit sub-folder, we see two folders present in Lubuntu but not in Redo Backup. The Lubuntu's xinitrc.d sub-folder contains a 50-systemd-user.sh file calling a environment element. We copy this folder in the same place in Redo Backup to see if it's changing anything.

In a console, we launch the 50-systemd-user.sh file being a script. We obtain a error message telling about systemctl being missing. We locate it with Lubuntu :

find /chemin/Lubuntu -name "systemctl"

We copy it in the same folder place in Redo Backup, and then we launch 50-systemd-user.sh again.

We have a new error message about library libgcrypt.so.20 is missing.

A Internet research about it inform us that this library is used for cryptography. No interest for our problem

We find another missing sub-folder in Redo Backup ; xinput.de .After it's content analysis, this file seems to be used for Asiatic languages support. No matter for our problem again.

We know it's the LC_MESSAGES folder whre are the translations libraries. Let's have a look on the differences between Lubunu and Redo Backup about this :

sudo grep -rn "LC_MESSAGES" /etc/*

For both distributions, we don't see differences in /etc.

Now, we're looking for a application's library in Lubuntu also present in Redo Backup to check if menus of this one are translated. We find a gparted.mo file, and launching Gparted in Redo Backup, we notice it is correctly translated.

We can do another hypothesis, The translations are not only done with the /usr/share/locale-langpack/fr/LC_MESSAGE folder.

The reference to the translations are done correctly. We can formulate a new hypothesis.

Or there are identical libraries elsewhere in other folders, or the translations are done directly in the applications binary files.

We try a copy of the binary from Lubuntu instead of Redo Backup equivalent. For example, the PCManFM file manager. We do the operation and start :

pcmanfm

From a console in Redo Backup, a error message tells us the libfm-gtk.so.4 is missing. So we type :

apt-get update

then :

apt-get install libfm-gtk

A error message tells us it's impossible to obtain the package.

A Internet Research learn us this package is included in libfm-gtk4, being himself not foundfor Redo Backup. We have here a version problem between Lubunu and Redo Backup, based respectively on Ubuntu 12.04 version for Redo Backup and 15.10 for the used Lubuntu.

Then, we will download and install the Lubuntu 12.04 version. Once this Done, we try again to replace the binary PCManFM file by the Lubuntu 12.04 one, correctly translated. Starting it under Redo Backup is OK, but the application menus are still in English. So the translations are not in the binary.

Now, we try to find the PCManFM translations file in Lubuntu 12.04, doing a search on all presents files :

find /usr -name "*.mo"

We obtain a lot of files, so we refine by filtering those in french.

find /usr -name "*.mo" | grep "fr"

We discover another folder : /usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES in which we find explicit files : pcmanfm.mo, openbox.mo, etc.

We see this folder in Redo Backup, but it's empty. We copy the Lubuntu 12.04 files in it.

We restart our Redo Backup distribution and then … it's now in French.

This method allowed us to identify where were the translations problems are. Some missing files need to be reconstituted. The next method will explain how to do it.

After these tests, we will realize the translation.

We are going in chroot from our Redo Backup Live CD copy (like saw in 5.8 chapterSource system modification).

Lets start with locales:

locale

The command gave us the following errors :

locale: cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: no such file or directory
locale: cannot set LC_MESSAGES to default locale: no such file or directory
locale: cannot set LC_COLLATE to default locale: no such file or directory

Followed by different LC fields, the LANGUAGE and LC_TYPE are empty, the others are correctly positioned with the fr_FR.UTF-8 value.

Let's regenerate locales :

locale-gen "fr_FR.UTF-8"

Then :

dpkg-reconfigure locales

The call of locale command doesn't return errors.

To be sure :

apt-get update

We benefit to update the time zone :

dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Let's regenerate the squashFS followed by CD and let's see the result.

After boot, no change.

Then we try to reinstall the leafpad text editor :

apt-get --reinstall install leafpad

After CD regeneration, same problem.

At the end of the Leafpad reinstall command return, we notice the following messages :

localpurge: Disk space freed in /usr/share/locale: 272KiB
localpurge: Disk space freed in /usr/share/man: 0KiB
localpurge: Disk space freed in /usr/share/gnome/help: 0KiB
localpurge: Disk space freed in /usr/share/omf: 0KiB

Does the «localpurge» application erase the translations files ?

Let's deinstall localepurge :

apt-get remove localepurge

Then reinstall leafpad.

We have a look in the locales content :

ls /usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES

leafpad.mo

Very good sign.

Let's regenerate the CD to see the result.

It's working, let's apply the method to others menu applications:

apt-get --reinstall install pcmanfm
apt-get --reinstall install chromium-browser
apt-get --reinstall install baobab
apt-get --reinstall install gparted
apt-get --reinstall install system-config-lvm
apt-get --reinstall install lxrandr
apt-get --reinstall install lxappearance
apt-get --reinstall install lshw-gtk
apt-get --reinstall install obconf

After CD regeneration and reboot, some programs stay not translated (Gparted, disk utility). It's seems to be Gnome programs.

Let's try this :

apt-get install language-pack-gnome-fr

This solve the problem.

Photorec stays not translated, there is no french version.

Chromium gave us difficulties, solved with the «chromium-browser-l10n» package re-installation :

apt-get install chromium-browser-l10n

root@ubuntu:~# chromium-browser
[1971:1971:0330/111614:FATAL:setuid_sandbox_client.cc(282)] The SUID sandbox helper binary was found, but is not configured correctly. Rather than run without sandboxing I'm aborting now. You need to make sure that /usr/lib/chromium-browser/chrome-sandbox is owned by root and has mode 4755.

chmod u+s /usr/lib/chromium-browser/chrome-sandbox