Advice for everyday Unix systems administration and some clever ways to approach more challenging problems.
Copies of files sometimes represent a big waste of disk space and can cause confusion if you want to make updates. Here are six Linux commands to help you identify these files.
Some files on a Linux system can appear in more than one location. Follow these instructions to find and identify these "identical twins" and learn why hard links can be so advantageous.
Variables often look like $var, but they also look like $1, $*, $? and $$. Let's take a look at what all these $ values can tell you.
Linux user environments simplify your use of the system in many ways. Viewing your settings and modifying them can be tricky, though. Here’s how to do it.
The lp command on Linux systems provides numerous options for printing, such as multiple pages per sheet and page borders, but also just a few quirks to keep you on your toes.
When you need a Linux system to have a static IP address rather than one that is set dynamically, all that's required is some configuration changes and a restart. Follow these steps to make the switch.
Learn what a shell "builtin" on a Linux system is, as well as what commands identify builtins and allow you to retrieve useful information about your working environment. and how to determine if a command is one or if s Let's look....
Linux Cockpit is a web-based interface that provides graphical administrative access to a system. Here's a look at what it allows you to control.
Several commands report on how much memory is installed and being used on Linux systems. You can be deluged with details or get a quick and easy answer, depending on the command you use.
The watch, top, and ac commands provide some effective ways to oversee what is happening on your Linux servers.
Where can you find information on Linux updates performed with apt commands? Check the /var/log/apt directory.
There are quite a few interesting things that you can do with "zip" commands on Linux other than compress and uncompress files. Here are some other zip options and how they can help.
Linux distributions provide quite a few useful commands for gauging disk activity. In this post, we'll look at some handy commands and useful options.
Learn how to create tarballs on Linux systems to back up and manage group files on Linux system.
The Linux ss command replaces the older netstat and makes a lot of information about network connections available for you to easily examine.
The sudo command allows privileged users to run all or selected commands as root, but understanding how it works and doesn't work is a big help.
While nmap is generally used to probe business networks and perform security reviews, the tool can also provide interesting details on your systems and devices at home.
Log files on Linux can provide a lot of useful information on what's happening on your system. These commands can help you sort through the data and pinpoint problems.
Use these commands to get insights on repositories that contain OS updates and applications and how that information is stored on your system.
Some command line tricks can make you even more productive on the Linux command line.
How to take a list of names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses and turn it into a Google map.
The L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF) affects Intel processors and thereby Linux systems. Learn what this vulnerability is all about and what Linux users should do about it.
Linux systems provide many ways to look at disk partitions. Here's a look at commands you can use to display useful information -- each providing a different format and with a different focus.
Many Linux commands now have options to make their output a little easier to digest. Here's a look at some that bring out the friendliness of our favorite operating system.
What can your Linux system tell you about the Linux kernel it's using? Let's do a little probing and see.
Encryption commands such as gpg can be used to secure your most sensitive files on Linux systems.
Dstat provides valuable insights into Linux system performance, pretty much replacing older tools, such as vmstat, netstat, iostat, and ifstat.
Using the convert command, you can modify image files without having to open an image editor.
On Linux, files can be erased but still be recoverable. Here's what to do when you really want them gone.
There are a lot of control sequences available on Linux systems -- maybe even some you've never used.
The Linux comm command makes it easy to compare files or the contents of directories with its columnar output.
There's more to copying and renaming files on Linux than cp and mv. Try some commands and strategies that might surprise you and save you some time.
The logger command provides an easy way to add messages to the /var/log/syslog file from the command line or from other files.
We might all agree on the command line, but start talking about Linux, and we might find that the rules of how to pronounce the names of Unix commands are not universal.
Blacklisting modules prevents them from being loaded and used, and it is sometimes an important step in keeping a system running properly.
The colors used on the Linux command line are intended to provide an easy way to identify files by type. You can change them, but you should have a good reason before you do.
In spite of the huge differences between Linux and Windows, sharing files between the systems is surprisingly easy. Here’s a look at two very different ways to make this happen.
How to use the expr, factor, jot, and bc commands to do math calculations on Linux systems.
How to use the find, locate, mlocate, which, whereis, whatis, and apropos commands to find files on Linux systems.
Some see a lot of promise in the evolution of "fish" on Linux -- a shell with a some unusual behaviors.
With calendars on Linux, you can get more than just reminders of what day it is. Commands such as date, cal, ncal and calendar provide helpful information.
The "last" command provides some easy ways to see who has been logging into your system and when, but with a little more work, you can ask it to report on a specific time period.
The ip command provides a lot of information on network interfaces. Here's some advice to help you understand what it's telling you.
Linux command history is not just about repeating commands. You can selectively decide what to remember and whether to record the date and time your commands were used.
Some Linux commands recurse without being asked, while others have to be nudged with just the right option. Here are some ways to use it to make you tasks easier.
When the Linux kernel detects something on the system violated the kernel's rules about proper behavior, it will shut the system down and issue an "oops."
Named pipes aren't used all that often, but they provide some interesting options for inter-process communications.
ASCII plays a much more important role on our systems than generating techno-art. Let's explore the commands that allow you to see how it works.
Learn how to easily extract content from compressed Linux files — without having to memorize a suite of syntactical options
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