[Triumf-linux-managers] firefox and flash-plugin updates update

[Kelvin Raywood]

*Firefox*

Quick synopsis:  If you are having trouble with firefox on SL-4 or SL-5, 
logout, login then try firefox again

Updated firefox packages for all SL-4 and SL-5 hit our mirror
last evening and hence were installed on machines that have auto updates 
enabled ( which is the default for TRIUMF kickstart installation).

This was listed as a security update but was also a version update, 
going from firefox-3.0.19 to firefox-3.6.4 .  URLs to the original 
announcements are below.

The announcements state that firefox must be restarted for the changes 
to take effect.  However, I found that it was necessary to completely 
logout and login before firefox would work.

Quote from the announcement re plugins:

    Firefox 3.6.4 is not completely backwards-compatible with all
    Mozilla Add-ons and Firefox plug-ins that worked with Firefox 3.0.19.
    Firefox 3.6 checks compatibility on first-launch, and, depending on
    the individual configuration and the installed Add-ons and
    plug-ins, may disable said Add-ons and plug-ins, or attempt to check
    for updates and upgrade them. Add-ons and plug-ins may have to be
    manually updated.

URLs to original announcements:

SL-4 
http://listserv.fnal.gov/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind1006&L=scientific-linux-errata&T=0&P=1636

SL-5
http://listserv.fnal.gov/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind1006&L=scientific-linux-errata&T=0&P=1511

*Flash plugin*

Quick synopsis: SL-5 32 and 64-bit were auto-updated to flash 10.1. No 
action required.

Adobe flash-plugin for SL-5 i386 was recently (June 10) updated to 
10.1.53.64 (was 10.0.45.2).  This new 10.1 version seems stable and more 
responsive than the 10.0 series.  Those with 32-bit SL-5 would have 
received the update automatically, assuming that auto-updates are enabled.

For 64-bit, Adobe had released an test version of flash-10.0 but have 
since dropped the 64-bit version altogether.  Nevertheless, the 32-bit 
version of the plugin can be used with 64-bit firefox by using 
nspluginwrapper.  The native 64-bit flash plugin was unstable and a 
large fraction of flash-enable web-sites crashed the browser.  However, 
the wrapped 32-bit version seems to work very will and so far I have not 
had any crashes on sites that previously crashed the 64-bit version.

I created a meta-rpm for SL-5 64-bit which automatically updates the 
flash-plugin on 64-bit machines to 32-bit 10.1 and requires 
nspluginwrapper.  I put this meta-rpm in our mirror of the adobe repo.

So SL-5 x86_64 machines that were installed with a TRIUMF kickstart, and 
hence use our mirror of the adobe repository for flash-plugin (and Adobe 
Reader) will have been automatically updated.

You can check which version of flash you are using via
"Tools -> Add-ons" in firefox, and look for "Shockwave Flash".

--
Kel Raywood
Core Computing and Networking
TRIUMF