Arch Server Progress

[Madchatthew]

So, I know that AI is being used for all sorts of nefarious things out this world, but I also believe there are more people using AI for good that for bad things. One such case in point, I just used Chatgpt to write a bash script so I can check to make sure services are running. And let me tell you, it did a beautiful job!

I wrote out the following prompt:

Write a bash script for Arch linux to check if the following services are running:

nginx
php-fpm
mariadb
postfix
dovecot

For each of the checks, display in the terminal if they are running or stopped

I am sure there are others ways to do this, but it looks like it took it’s queue on my “For each of” and wrote a for each statement. In the prompt in Chatgpt none of the wording is bolded or colored in blue. Which is perfectly fine. I added Redis and UFW to the code in my script file to make sure those are running as well.

Then Chatgpt told me to make the script executable using chmod +x check_services.sh and to double check to make sure that it chose the correct service names and to use systemctl list-units --type=service to get the exact names of the services and change accordingly.

So I did that and everything checks out. Then, Chatgpt prompted me and said if you would like to make this color coded let me know. So I did the following prompt:

This work perfectly. Please include color-coded output

This was the final code that Chatgpt outputed:

#!/bin/bash

# Colors
GREEN="\033[0;32m"
RED="\033[0;31m"
NC="\033[0m"  # No Color

# List of services to check
services=(
  nginx
  php-fpm
  mariadb
  postfix
  dovecot
  redis
  ufw
)

echo "Checking service statuses..."

# Loop through each service
for service in "${services[@]}"; do
  status=$(systemctl is-active "$service")
  if [[ "$status" == "active" ]]; then
    echo -e "${service}: ${GREEN}Running ✅${NC}"
  else
    echo -e "${service}: ${RED}Stopped ❌${NC}"
  fi
done

So upon running this in the terminal when remoted into the server ./checkservices I get the following output:

I am happy with the results and now have a super easy way to double check and make sure all of the services are running after I reboot the server when a new kernel is installed.

[phenomlab]

@Madchatthew Yes, ChatGPT excels in this sense, and does take queues from key items you describe, which sets it apart from others. I actually have a monthly paid subscription to ChatGPT because I use it more frequently these days for something else I have in the pipeline I’m working on.

[Madchatthew]

@phenomlab That is awesome! I think I am going to start using Chatgpt to help with some programming and if nothing else, it should be able to help me understand how to program some things or rather aspects of an app whether web or otherwise.

[Madchatthew]

One of the package install options is the AUR. These are programs that can’t be installed using pacman, and are apps that can be installed. Usually the options are to install yay or paru. I am one that doesn’t like extra programs on their computer if I don’t need it. It is another app that can have issues on an upgrade. Of course there is no doubt that typing sudo yay -S google-chrome is way easier and quicker.

So how do you install from aur.archlinux.org with either of those apps. Easy, lets go through it step by step.

1. Go to the website aur.archlinux.org

2. We will use google-chrome for an example. I use chrome off the AUR so that I can log in and have all my bookmarks and extensions sync.

3. On the page for google-chrome on the AUR there will be a link next to Git Clone URL:.

4. Click on the link, which is read only to copy the link.
   

5. Go to your terminal and type cd Download - this changes to the Download directory.

6. Type git clone 'right click and paste here' the link that you clicked on to copy.

7. Press Enter and now the contents will be downloaded.

8. Change directory to the new one that appears, which in this case would be google-chrome

9. Once in this directory, now type makepkg -s -i and it will install after updating packages and compiling. The -s will install missing dependencies and -i will tell makepkg to install after a successful build.

So now that you have been using good chrome and it says to restart to install the latest update and you do that, but no updates install. That is where you would need to type sudo yay -U google-chrome to upgrade. Or I prefer to do the following.

1. Go to the Downloads folder then to the program folder that you want to update in the terminal. In this case Downloads/google-chrome

2. Type git pull

3. Type makepkg -s -i after git is done pulling down the updates.

4. Go through the install process after a successful build.

You will need to put in your password a couple of times and that is normal. Hope this helps and thank you!

[phenomlab]

@Madchatthew Another great guide - thanks.

[Madchatthew]

@phenomlab Thank you! And you are welcome! I had struggled with this the first couple times that google chrome had an update. Then I finally got it that I have to do that each time and that it isn’t done automatically.

[phenomlab]

@Madchatthew This is one of the things that I always loathe about unmaintained repositories. They are so easily abandoned these days and it’s often not until the months have gone by where you realise your browser is woefully out of date because the repository no longer has anyone lovingly updating it.

[Madchatthew]

@phenomlab Yeah I am with you there. If they stop maintaining the google chrome one I will have to import my bookmarks and stuff into a different one and switch. I hoping they don’t stop maintaining it though.

Now some software once it is installed will have an update feature so you don’t have to do that every time, but unfortunately, the google chrome one doesn’t.

[phenomlab]

@Madchatthew said in Arch Server Progress:

Now some software once it is installed will have an update feature so you don’t have to do that every time, but unfortunately, the google chrome one doesn’t.

Yes, that was always the case with the Ubuntu repository for Chrome. PITA.

[Madchatthew]

@phenomlab said in Arch Server Progress:

PITA

LOL yes for sure!!