Strange problems with switches
Network switches are supposed to be simple devices that work at TCP/IP layer 1, the hardware layer. As far as the network is concerned, and...
Nextcloud is a snap
Recently I have been tasked with assisting a local medical office with finding a new way to store medical images securely. The office needed a...
I need a list of URLs
I used the command line to do in seconds what would have needed more than ten minutes to do by hand.
How to remove a stuck kernel from GRUB
Here’s how to fix the GRUB menu configuration from the command line.
What USB device is that?
Use kernel messages to identify which disk device you can mount.
How to selectively apply updates
Here’s how I selectively apply updates, excluding any kernel packages.
Straight quotes from pandoc
Change pandoc’s curly quotes into straight quotes with this script.
Viewing PDF documents in console mode
I have a Raspberry Pi 3 that’s sat unused for the last few years. I used to run the Raspberry Pi as a personal “home...
Loving the command line with the Raspberry Pi
I’m going to show my age when I share that my first Unix system was a Sun 3/50 workstation in our campus computer lab, when...
The Linux Philosophy for SysAdmins, Tenet 21—There is no should
Author’s note: This article is excerpted in part from chapter 23 of my book, The Linux Philosophy for SysAdmins, with significant changes to update the...
New Linux vulnerabilities allow access to critical data
Two new vulnerabilities in the core dump handlers for Ubuntu, RHEL, and Fedora, allow access to critical data according to The Hacker News. The problem...
Extracting text with awk
The awk script interpreter is a very handy tool for systems administrators, and anyone else who uses Linux at the command line. With awk, you...
Movie made with open source software makes history
Screenshot from the IMDb database. The Latvian movie, Flow (2024), has made history for more than one reason. Wikipedia describes Flow as "... a 2024...
Linux and Security
Image via Creative Commons, modified by Both.org Security is a critically important part of using and administering computers in our ultra-connected world. With Linux running...
5 Unix books you must read
-- That also apply to Linux as well as all operating systems. I am always learning new things. There are always new things to learn...
Redirectors — More than you think
If you use the command line at all, you're probably familiar with the basic concept of redirection using Standard IO (STDIO). One common usage is...