FreeBSD - How to install flash plugin or player to work with FireFox

This post is part of the "How to install FreeBSD as your Desktop" series and it shows how to install flash plugin onto FireFox internet browser in FreeBSD. Here it is :

Execute the below as root

Installing Linux emulators that will run the Linux version of flash plugin on FireFox:

echo compat.linux.osrelease=2.6.16 >> /etc/sysctl.conf
echo OVERRIDE_LINUX_BASE_PORT=f8 >> /etc/make.conf
echo OVERRIDE_LINUX_NONBASE_PORTS=f8 >> /etc/make.conf
echo linux_enable="YES" >> /etc/rc.conf
mkdir -p /usr/compat/linux/proc

insert :

linproc   /usr/compat/linux/proc   linprocfs   rw    0 0

into the file /etc/fstab. Follow by :

/etc/rc.d/abi restart
/etc/rc.d/sysctl restart
cd /usr/ports/emulators/linux_base-f8 ; make install clean
cd /usr/ports/www/firefox35/; make install clean
cd /usr/ports/www/nspluginwrapper; make install clean

Execute the below as the "normal user"

By "normal user" is the user name that wanna see flash in FireFox

mkdir ~/temp ; cd ~/temp
wget http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/installers/current/9/install_flash_player_9.tar.gz
tar zxf install_flash_player_9.tar.gz
mkdir -p .mozilla/plugins/
cp install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so ~/.mozilla/plugins/
nspluginwrapper -v -a -i

Make sure the libflashplayer.so in ~/.mozilla/plugins is installed properly)

Troubleshooting tips

• How to check whether the plugin have been installed properly?

In firefox URL bar, type :

about:plugins

• Since the flash plugin is running under Linux emulations, it tends to mess up a bit some times. Mostly are due to npviewer.bin died, use the below to kill it and reload the URL. If it still does not help, kill it then restart FireFox.

ps aux | grep npviewer or killall npviewer.bin

Au revoir !!!