Articles

This page contains a list of most of my Linux and related articles. The list is divided into sections by where they were originally published, such as Opensource.com, Enable SysAdmin, my own DataBook for Linux, and Linux Magazine.

Some of these articles are quite old, but I have included them here for completeness. Many of my articles have been published in multiple locations so I may link to one or more of those locations for completeness.

The most recent articles are at the top of the lists and the articles get older as you go down.

DataBook for Linux (Personal)

The DataBook for Linux is my own technical web site and contains hundreds of articles I have written over the years. Many of those articles might be helpful to you so I have set links to them here. Other articles are ones that I wrote for other publications that may no longer be available.

2019-09-20: Real SysAdmins don’t sudo
2008-06-14: Complete Kickstart This article first appeared in the June 2008 issue of Linux Magazine but is no longer maintained there. This link is to a copy of it on my own web site.

Opensource.com (Red Hat)

2023-02-06: Wordsmith on the Linux command line with dict
2023-01-25: Why sysadmins should license their code for open source
2022-11-14: Make swap better with zram on Linux
2022-11-11: Drop swap for zram on Linux
2022-09-13: How I troubleshoot swappiness and startup time on Linux
2022-09-12: How I recovered my Linux system using a Live USB device
2022-08-23: How I migrated to NetworkManager keyfiles for configuration
2022-08-03: A sysadmin’s guide to network interface configuration files
2022-08-01: How I disabled IPv6 on Linux
2022-07-18: How I configured a DHCP server on my personal network
2022-06-28: Linux su vs sudo: what’s the difference?
2022-04-21: How Linux rescues slow computers (and the planet)
2022-04-20: Get started with NetworkManager on Linux
2022-03-31: How I customize my Linux window decorations
2022-03-12: Understanding the Digital World: My honest book review
2022-02-14: How I configure Vim as my default editor on Linux
2022-01-18: How curiosity helped me solve a hardware problem
2021-12-07: Manage your APC battery backup system with this Linux command
2021-09-08: How I migrated a WordPress website to a new host
2021-06-28: Parsing config files with Bash
2021-06-05: Why my need for control made me switch to Linux
2021-05-11: Use the Alpine email client in your Linux terminal
2021-05-06: Resolve DHCPD and HTTPD startup failures with Ansible
2021-05-03: Why I support systemd’s plan to take over the world
2021-04-15: Resolve systemd-resolved name-service failures with Ansible.
2021-01-22: Configure a Linux workspace remotely from the command line
2021-01-21: Convert your Windows install into a VM on Linux
2021-01-02: How to configure an Apache web server (Updated)
2020-10-29: Managing resources with cgroups in systemd
2020-10-13: My first day using Ansible
2020-09-16: Analyze Linux startup performance
2020-09-11: Poll: What do you think of the save icon?
2020-08-20: Using systemd journals to troubleshoot transient problems
2020-07-20: Analyzing systemd calendar and timespans
2020-07-07: Use systemd timers instead of cronjobs
2020-06-02: Control your computer time and date with systemd
2020-05-27: Manage startup using systemd
2020-05-11: Start using systemd as a troubleshooting tool
2020-05-07: Using the systemctl command to manage systemd units
2020-05-04: Understanding systemd at startup on Linux
2020-04-30: Edit music recordings with Audacity on Linux
2020-04-17: Learning to love systemd
2020-01-02: How to use cron in Linux: Updated
2019-12-23: 10 resources to become a better Bash user
2019-12-21: Testing your Bash script
2019-12-20: How to add a Help facility to your Bash program
2019-12-19: Creating a Bash script template
2019-12-18: Introduction to automation with Bash scripts
2019-11-28: Monitoring Linux and Windows hosts with Glances
2019-10-23: How to program with Bash: Loops
2019-10-22: How to program with Bash: Logical operators and shell expansions
2019-10-01: How to program with Bash: Syntax and tools
2019-03-29: How to submit a bug report with Bugzilla
2019-03-07: What’s your favorite Linux terminal emulator?
2019-02-11: What’s the right amount of swap space for a modern Linux system?
2019-01-01: Is the Linux philosophy still relevant in 2019?
2018-12-20: 13 Linux must-reads in 2018
2018-12-03: Manage NTP with Chrony
2018-11-21: Coupled commands with control operators in Bash
2018-11-02: Team of one? The Zen postmortem
2018-10-30: Working with data streams on the Linux command line
2018-09-26: An introduction to swap space on Linux systems
2018-09-12: How to build rpm packages
2018-07-31: How to be the lazy sysadmin
2018-06-25: 8 reasons to use the Xfce Linux desktop environment
2018-04-24: An introduction to the GNU Core Utilities
2018-03-29: How to configure multiple websites with Apache web server
2018-02-22: How to configure an Apache web server
2017-12-20: 5 must-read sysadmin articles from 2017
2017-12-19: How to generate webpages using CGI scripts
2017-12-05: Using sudo to delegate permissions in Linux
2017-11-06: How to use cron in Linux
2017-11-01: SpamAssassin, MIMEDefang, and Procmail: Best Trio of 2017
2017-10-20: Using the Alpine Linux email client to access messages from any network
2017-07-27: Tilix brings powerful terminal emulation to Fedora
2017-06-22: A user’s guide to links in the Linux filesystem
2017-06-08: How to upgrade your system BIOS using FreeDOS
2017-05-29: 11 reasons to use the GNOME 3 desktop environment for Linux
2017-05-25: An introduction to Linux’s EXT4 filesystem
2017-04-27: Testing Linux hardware compatibility with USB sticks
2017-04-07: Build your own DNS server on Linux
2017-04-06: Introduction to the Domain Name System (DNS)
2017-03-16: An introduction to GRUB2 configuration for your Linux machine
2017-03-09: 8 reasons to use LXDE
2017-02-20: An introduction to the Linux boot and startup processes
2017-01-26: Using rsync to back up your Linux system
2017-01-18: 10 reasons to use Cinnamon as your Linux desktop environment
2016-12-30: A Linux networking guide to CIDR notation and configuration
2016-12-13: Best Couple of 2016: Display manager and window manager
2016-11-28: Managing devices in Linux
2016-10-31: An introduction to Linux filesystems
2016-09-22: A Linux user’s guide to Logical Volume Management
2016-08-31: An introduction to Linux network routing
2016-07-28: How to upgrade your Fedora Linux system with DNF
2016-06-28: How to configure networking in Linux
2016-05-30: How I used a Raspberry Pi to connect with my grandkids
2016-03-15: Firewall your home network with a Raspberry Pi
2016-03-03: System statistics with sar and the /proc filesystem
2016-02-09: 4 open source tools for Linux system monitoring
2016-02-02: Getting started with the Krusader file manager
2016-01-20: A minimalistic approach to debugging
2016-01-15: ScyllaDB: Cassandra compatibility at 1.8 million requests per node
2015-12-10: Best Couple of 2015: tar and ssh
2015-11-26: Give back and support open source
2015-11-20: Linux monitoring tools to keep your hardware cool
2015-11-16: My mom requests a Linux computer
2015-10-26: A troubleshooting process for Linux problems
2015-09-21: Everything is a file
2015-09-09: Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) for the Unix shell
2015-08-21: Winners announced for the Great Command-Line Challenge
2015-08-12: A comprehensive guide to Dolphin, a KDE file manager
2015-07-07: Take on The Great Command-Line Challenge
2015-06-29: The job is not done until the documentation is complete
2015-06-02: Take control of your file systems with Konqueror
2015-05-27: Get started with Midnight Commander, a Linux file manager
2015-04-21: 8 Linux file managers to try
2015-04-14: 9 reasons to use KDE
2015-03-24: How to do fast, repeatable Linux installations
2015-02-03: How the 9 major tenets of the Linux philosophy affect you
2015-01-30: How I landed a job in open source
2014-12-02: The impact of the Linux philosophy
2011-06-10: Solving city problems the open source way

Enable SysAdmin (Red Hat)

2022-08-25: How to tune the Linux kernel with the /proc filesystem
2021-07-07: What is a sysadmin?
2021-04-20: 3 steps to identifying Linux system automation candidates
2020-12-28: 11 Linux command line guides you shouldn’t be without
2020-11-17: Using an Ansible playbook to manage workstation and server updates
2020-11-12: How to create an Ansible Playbook
2020-09-16: Linux hardware: The history of memory and storage devices
2020-09-09: Should I run my desktop 24/7?
2020-07-23: The central processing unit (CPU): Its components and functionality
2020-07-21: Computer history and modern computers for sysadmins
2020-06-23: Linux hardware: Converting to solid-state disks (SSDs) on the desktop
2020-06-18: Sysadmin careers: Curiosity is an asset
2020-05-27: Sysadmin careers: The 5 steps of problem solving
2020-05-20: 4 problem solving strategies for sysadmins
2020-04-20: Using sudo to delegate permissions in Linux
2020-04-17: Real sysadmins don’t sudo
2019-10-17: Regular expressions: Pulling it all together
2019-10-16: Regex and grep: Data flow and building blocks
2019-10-15: Getting started with regular expressions: An example
2019-10-14: Introducing regular expressions
2019-10-01: Replacing rc.local in systemd Linux systems
2019-05-28: How to hire the right sysadmin for the job
2019-05-22: How remote work can work for sysadmins

Enable Architect (Red Hat)

2022-11-25: Why it’s important for leaders to mentor and support others
2022-10-28: How to install or update software that’s not in your Linux repository

Linux Magazine

2008-06: Complete Kickstart This article first appeared in the June 2008 issue but is no longer maintained there. This link is to a copy of it on Linux Today.